ELMONT, N.Y. – The road to the Kentucky Derby for Always in a Tiz was full of potholes. A troubled trip in one prep, a disdain for a sloppy track in another, and an absolute debacle in a third kept the horse from making it to the Run for the Roses.
The connections of Always in a Tiz are hopeful their winter – and early spring – of discontent are behind their 3-year-old and are hoping for a dramatic change of fortune in the 145th Belmont Stakes to be run next Saturday.
Quality Lass began her 4-year-old campaign in mid-January running for a $25,000 claiming tag against nonwinners-of-two competition. Less than six months later, Quality Lass will compete for a $53,000 purse against some of the best non-stakes female sprinters on the grounds at Parx Racing.
Quality Lass will go for her fifth win in her last six starts when she breaks from the rail as the 123-pound highweight in Monday’s feature, a six-furlong sprint for third-level optional $40,000 claiming fillies and mares.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Trainer Ken McPeek revealed Saturday that he is seriously considering entering Frac Daddy in the Belmont Stakes.
Frac Daddy, 16th in the May 4 Kentucky Derby as a 25-1 shot, has had three swift workouts at Churchill Downs within a two-week span, ending with a bullet half-mile drill Friday in 47.80 seconds.
“He’s training as well as I’ve ever seen,” McPeek said. “It’s like [D. Wayne] Lukas says, you can’t win it unless you’re in it.”
McPeek engineered the biggest upset in Belmont history when sending out Sarava to a 70-1 victory in the 2002 running.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – When live racing resumes Thursday at Churchill Downs, there will be four weeks remaining at the spring meet.
That’s also what Churchill will run here in September for the first time: a four-week meet, albeit on a three-day schedule (as opposed to four in the spring).
OPELOUSAS, La. - Sittin At the Bar settled comfortably off the pace before rallying four wide out of the turn under Mark Guidry to capture Friday night’s $50,000 Acadiana Stakes for Louisiana-bred 3-year-old fillies at Evangeline Downs.
A violent tornado storm system that moved into Oklahoma City on Friday night forced Remington Park to cancel its program after two races, but a track official said Remington planned to race as scheduled on Saturday night.
During the storm, the track, which is in the midst of a Quarter Horse meet, experienced heavy rain and lightning, according to Dale Day, a spokesperson for Remington.
“At this time, the plan is to continue for racing on Saturday with the richest program ever conducted at Remington Park,” Day said in an e-mail to Daily Racing Form.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Victor Espinoza’s 3,000th career win came so easily he had time to soak in the milestone during the race.
The $8,000 claimer Flashy Delight swept past the eighth pole under Espinoza in Friday’s fourth race at Betfair Hollywoood Park with a 2 1/2-length lead, and the trailing pack of eight runners was not gaining. Flashy Delight won the seven-furlong race by eight lengths, making Espinoza the second jockey to reach the 3,000-win mark at Hollywood Park this spring. Rafael Bejarano won the 3,000th race of his career on May 11.
ELMONT, N.Y. - Jockey Luis Saez won five races on Friday’s card at Belmont Park, including two consecutive races in which he dead-heated for the victory.
It was the 11th time in his career the 21-year-old Saez has won at least five races on a single card, the first time he has done so outside of south Florida. Saez has twice won six races on a single card - Nov. 11, 2009 and Aug. 11, 2012 - at Calder.
Tastefullyxcessive is part of a strong group of fillies and mares in the fifth race Sunday at Lone Star Park. The $40,000 optional claimer will be run at a mile on turf, and the horse to catch is Temparnillo. But the horse with the best recent race is Tastefullyxcessive.
Fiftyshadesofgold, a 2-year-old filly who romped by 10 lengths in a maiden special weight at Lone Star Park on May 24, will likely make her next start in the $100,000-added Debutante at Churchill Downs on June 22, trainer Bret Calhoun said.
“We’ve shipped her to Churchill,” Calhoun said.
